


Davenport University

by nobodynose



Category: Lab Rats (TV 2012), Lab Rats: Elite Force (TV), Mighty Med
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, College, F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, POV Multiple, Post-Canon, ill add tags as i go along, rn i know like nothing about my own story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:06:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25559296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nobodynose/pseuds/nobodynose
Summary: The Lab Rats finally get to go to college, and for once, they'll be able to live a completely normal life. No more missions, just classes, homework, and getting drunk.None of them expected their college experience to be so... life-threateningly chaotic.
Relationships: And a couple of side ones that are gonna eff up the plot, Bree Davenport/Caitlin, Bree Davenport/Skylar Storm, Chase Davenport/Kaz, Chase Davenport/Sebastian, Leo Dooley/Janelle, Marcus Davenport/Leo Dooley, haha including:
Comments: 25
Kudos: 54





	1. × Chase ×

**Author's Note:**

> I have planned 0 of this, so it's probably gonna be 1) long, 2) a slow burn, and 3) incoherent with inconsistent updates.
> 
> all i know right now is that there MIGHT be rape and graphic violence at some point throughout this story, so please keep an eye out for that ❤

"Guys guys _guys!"_ Mr. Davenport ran into the training area, right after our classes, and exclaimed, "I did it!"

Bree rolled her eyes, "What is it this time?" We all know that Mr. Davenport _doing_ something usually ends up with some sort of life-threatening experience. We've seen it again and again. 

Yet, we still act like it's nothing. 

Davenport started doing his little 'happy dance', which, frankly, was disturbing, and said, "I got myself a university!"

Leo scoffed, "You're going to college _again_? What, you have an excess of spare money or something?"

He shot him a look, before quickly reapplying his excited demeanor, "No, I mean, I _got_ a university. _Davenport University._ It's official!"

"Another one?" Adam asked, just walking into the room, "Isn't _this_ a Davenport University?"

Davenport shook his head, "No!" He laughed, "This is a Davenport _academy._ Big difference."

Douglas walked in behind him and sat down on the bench against the wall, a water bottle in his hand, "I'm gonna be a teacher." He said casually, downing a gulp of water.

I blinked, " _You,_ a _teacher?"_

He shrugged, "Why are you so surprised, Chase? I'm an amazing teacher!"

"Right." I said, sarcastically, "Like how you did _so good_ at teaching _us_ when we were kids."

"Hey, that was a long time ago!" Douglas said, pointing at me accusingly, "I'm a good guy now! I could teach all of you if Donnie would let me."

Davenport scoffed, and Douglas scoffed back at him.

"Anyway." Davenport said, unfolding some papers from his pockets, "I'm gonna let you--"

"Oh god," Bree started, " _Please_ don't say we're gonna have to teach _there."_

"No, of course not!" Davenport said, "I wouldn't make you all _teach_ at a university."

All four of us simultaneously _phew-_ ed.

"I'm gonna make you all _attend."_

We all simultaneously groaned.

"Seriously?" Leo said, before pointing to himself, "I can't attend college! I'm, like, eleven!"

We all stared at Leo silently. 

Leo looked down at himself and mumbled, "Guess I'm too tall to play that card now…"

Davenport huffed and tried to reason with us, "Come on! Your entire lives you guys have wanted to be normal! Now is your chance!"

"By attending my dad's shitty new university?" Bree scoffed, "No thanks."

"Yeah," Adam agreed, "Besides, who goes to school _twice."_

I have to admit, going to my dad's new university had never been on my todo list, and honestly, I wasn't so eager to try it out. But I _have_ always wanted to go to college. And at least this way I won't have to fill out any tedious paperwork. "I'll do it." I volunteered.

But Davenport just laughed, "Yeah you will." He pointed at each of us, "You all will. We need students to get this place lifted off the ground."

He tapped on his tablet a couple of times before saying, "We'll be leaving Tuesday at dawn. Pack your bags. I'll tell your friends. " He left the room.

"Wait, no!" Bree called after him, but he was already gone. She plopped on the bench beside Douglas and groaned, "I _so_ hope he doesn't invite Caitlin." 

Leo joined her, cringing to himself, "I hope he doesn't invite Danielle."

Adam tapped his foot, "I hope he doesn't invite Bob."

We all looked at him, and he shrugged, "What? He's my friend isn't he? The little guy's too young for big boy school…"

I shook my head, "It can't be _that_ bad. I mean, we'll finally get to take off from the whole superhuman thing!"

I was trying to bring their spirits up. Because, hey, college!

"I guess that _is_ a plus." Bree said, still sounding disappointed, "We'll get to be normal. But… _boring."_

"Are you kidding?" Leo shouted, "I'm pretty sure you guys are basically _incapable_ of being boring. You're literally _bionic!_ "

"So are you."

"Well," Leo crossed his arms, "Fun seems to follow you guys everywhere. I doubt this'll be an exception."

I thought back to the millions of times we've almost been killed. In space, in a testing facility, in a warehouse, in a lair (thrice!), at school, and even in our own _home._ "Yeah, you could call it _fun."_

Adam hissed, "Yeahhh… Some of that was the _opposite_ of fun; _nuf_."

Leo chuckled, "It's fun now, though, right? I mean, we've survived so many near death experiences! It's insane!"

"Insane is one word for it." Bree joined in on the discussion, "I gotta say, I did not enjoy being engulfed alive by toxic chemicals or almost being ripped apart to become part of an android army."

Adam hissed, "Yeahh… that was nuf."

"Whatever." Leo deflated, not willing to try to prove his point any farther.

But I think I understood what Leo was saying, "We're gonna be normal, guys. For _real._ No missions or anything life-threatening to worry about."

The three of them smiled at that.

"Of course, we _do_ have to make sure we keep our bionics in check." I added on sophisticatedly, "Wouldn't want anyone to know we were the bionic kids everyone's talking about."

"Way to ruin the fun, _Chase._ " Leo mumbled. 

"Hey, _you_ were the one that said fun followed us everywhere!"

We all chuckled, and any disappointment I had had a few minutes ago evaporated. I was going to _college._ This had been my dream since I was 7, but I never thought I'd be able to do it, being a bionic human and all.

Look how things have turned out, though! We have 15 teams of bionic heros, that were raised by evil but _shaped_ by _us_. They're our successors. They're sacrificing their normality to take on the job that we thought we'd be stuck in for life.

We're becoming students after a year of being teachers. We're going to get to have a normal life after a lifetime of thinking it would never happen.

And this wasn't _supposed_ to happen. If Davenport had got his way, we never would've meant Leo. We never would've gone to school, learnt Douglas was evil, learnt Douglas was now _good_ , get our secret exposed, be famous, save the world, have bionic successors, or have a _family_ for ourselves. 

We would still be toys, if things went according to plan.

But they didn't, and that's good sometimes. This is good. We're doing good.

This is going to be fun.


	2. \ Bree /

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the POV is gonna be WONK throughout this story, since I have NOTHING planned, and I'm just sort of writing.
> 
> For some reason I don't like specifying POV in the actual story, so I do it in the chapter numbers. So just keep an eye out on that
> 
> Now enjoy the chapter!

My roommate is a blonde chick.

I repeat: my roommate is a blonde chick.

I got to the dormroom before her.  _ Way  _ before her. Like, I had completely unpacked and everything. I started to think that maybe I didn't  _ have _ a roommate. 

But, alas, at 7:30, after dinner and everything, she opened the door, causing me to sit up in my bed where I was playing Candy Crush.

She was probably a little taller than me, but I was definitely older than her. She had definitely come straight out of highschool. She had a blue lollipop in her mouth, and she was carrying a suitcase around the same size as her. 

And she was  _ blonde.  _

Hear me out, I don't have anything against blondes. But, judging off first impressions and first impressions only, she was the popular kid in school. 

"Uh, are you, like, my roommate?" Come  _ on _ , anyone who talks like that is going to be annoying! 

So I think it's needless to say that, upon first glance, I did  _ not  _ like my new roommate.

But I didn't want to come across as mean or stereotypical, so I stood up from the bottom bunk, where I was sitting, and held out my hand, "Yep!" I said, holding out my hand, "I'm Bree!"

She looked at my hand wearily, before shaking it slowly and weakly, "Stefanie." She said slowly. 

I got the feeling that she didn't really like me as of now either. 

She threw her suitcase on the top bunk, almost knocking me out in the process, and asked, "So, what are you, like, majoring in?"

Is that a question people lead with in college? How many times do you bet I'll have to answer that? I shrugged, "Just, uh, psychology." 

She nodded, "You gonna be, like, a therapist?"

I shrugged again, pulling out my phone to resume my Candy Crush game, "I don't know. I mean, maybe. I'm just going here cuz my dad's forcing me to."

"Rough." She responded, not really sounding like she cared, "I'm majoring in marketing."

I raised an eyebrow, "Marketing?"

She smiled and plopped down beside me, "Yeah! Marketing! I'm gonna be a model." She flipped her hair dramatically, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

She does realize that she doesn't have to go to college to be a model, right? She just needs two working feet and an expensive conditioner. She's basically throwing away money.

Especially since this is  _ Davenport's  _ school. Everyone here is throwing away money.

She took out her phone and scrolled through, still sitting uncomfortably close to me. She called someone and put her phone up to her ear. "Claire! Hi! Yes, I made it!" She was yelling. In my ear.

"I know, right?" She responded to whoever she was talking to, not bothering to monitor her volume, "You should like, totes visit me!"

"Hey." I whispered, tapping her on the shoulder to get her attention, "This place is only so big. Don't want every dorm to hear you." I chuckled lightly, just so I didn't come off as too harsh.

She turned to me and nodded. I expected her to tone the volume down or something, but instead, she just straight up walks out of the dorm. 

"Wow." I say to myself. I had no idea how I was going to live with someone like her, who shouts at full volume on the phone and says  _ like  _ and  _ totes _ in every sentence.

I lay back down on my bed and text Adam.

**My roommate is a popular girl**

**So is mine.**

I chuckled. 

**Adam I don't think he's a girl.**

**Oh no. He's not.**

**He's a popular girl.**

**I am so confused.**

**Gimme a sec.**

I stared at my phone, confused, and waited. Until it rang.

"Hey Adam." I said, picking up, "So care to explain the whole  _ popular girl  _ roommate thing?"

"What?" The voice on the other end said, and, may I just say, that was  _ not  _ Adam. It was higher pitched and honestly a little squeaky. Another voice I cannot stand.

I clicked my tongue, "This is Adam's roommate isn't it?" I asked, embarrassed. I sincerely hope he didn't actually hear what I said.

"Yeah…" He said, in a tone that suggested that, yes, he heard the insult.

"Tell her what you told me!" I heard Adam shout. He was probably sitting besides his roommate, listening in on the entire conversation. 

The roommate sighed, deliberately making his voice higher pitch before saying, ""I rather go to McDonald's. This homemade stuff is so, like,  _ bad. _ '"

I bursted out laughing. I couldn't help myself! He really  _ did _ sound like a popular girl, and if that was the first thing  _ I  _ heard from  _ my  _ roommate, I would definitely classify him as such, too. 

"Adam just  _ happened  _ to walk in when I said that." He explained, his voice going back to normal. "But, in my defense, the french fries  _ sucked." _

I had no idea what he was talking about, but I laughed along.

I heard the phone getting passed back to Adam, before he spoke, "So yeah, that was my roommate. A popular girl."

"Yeah." I chuckled, "What's his name?"

"Olive Dirt."

I raised an eyebrow, " _ Olive Dirt?" _

I heard some miscellaneous conversation on the other end of the line, before Adam spoke again, " _ Oh,  _ it's  _ Oliver.  _ My bad."

I was going to ask how in the  _ world _ Adam heard  _ Olive Dirt,  _ but then I remembered it was Adam.

"Ok, cool." I said, again, as the door to my dorm opened and Stefanie walked in, phone no longer on her ear. Drat, I was just about to rant about her to Adam, too. "Gotta go. Cuz… night." I said, using an excuse so Stefanie didn't get the idea we were talking about her.

"Kay." Adam responded, "Talk at orientation tomorrow?"

"Duh-der." I responded, smiling before hanging up.

"You got a boyfriend, too?" Stefanie asked excitedly. 

I scrunched up my face in disgust, "Ew. No. Brother."

Stefanie nodded, "I don't have a brother. That's why I get boyfriends."

That did  _ not  _ add up to me, but, to each their own, right? "Ah."

I expected her to go on about her boyfriend, as most stereotypical popular girls do, but instead she asked, "Is having a brother nice?"

I scoffed, "Only if you're immune to stupidness. And smartassness."

"No way!" She said, sounding amazed, "Your brother's  _ bipolar? _ "

"Wha- no." I started, "I have two."

"No  _ fair. _ " Stefanie responded, climbing up the ladder and plopping on the bed above me, "The closest thing I had to a brother was  _ Gus _ . And I  _ dated  _ him." She shivered.

I didn't know who Gus was, and I didn't really want to ask. But I was glad that Stefanie wasn't just a disgustingly flat person who based her entire life off her popularity. That's good.

"My school was wonky." She said, apparently being very talkative tonight. "I don't know what was up with it. But something was."

"Ok, that's nice." I said dismissively. I got up from my bed and grabbed a towel and a change of clothes, deciding to take a shower to avoid anymore conversation with her.

I was going to try to like her. I really was. But right now I don't want to talk. I just want to lie down and get ready for the next stage of my life - college. 

Granted, I didn't think I'd ever be here, but I might as well enjoy it, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> btw this is all self-indulgent so that's part of the reason I'm not planning much. 
> 
> Still, though, tell me if you like it!


	3. < Leo >

My roommate is a nerd.

I repeat: my roommate is a  _ nerd. _

You would think that  _ I'm  _ a nerd, to which I say,  _ ok sure.  _ I'm sorta maybe a nerd. But I am  _ nothing  _ compared to this guy.

I walked into my dormroom to see him in the middle of the room, on the floor, playing Dungeons and Dragons,  _ by himself.  _ Now, I'm no expert in D&D, but I'm pretty sure it's not singleplayer.

He had dark brown nerdy hair, cut nerdily, with nerdy glasses. There was no way he  _ wasn't  _ a nerd. I don't wanna be one to use stereotypes but… he was also short. Like  _ Chase.  _ Who is a  _ nerd. _

He doesn't even look up at me before speaking, "Hello. Wanna play?"

"Hi." I responded, trying not to sound skeptical of his obvious weirdness. "No thanks. I'm not really all that into D&D." I walk over to our bunk bed, and notice that he hasn't claimed a bunk yet. "Top or bottom?" I asked, "Bunk."

He put his dice back into a little pouch and hastily kicked the board under his desk before springing onto his feet and whipping his hands, "I saved that decision for you." He said before shrugging, "I know; I'm a good roommate."

"Okayy…" I responded, looking up at the bunk bed and tossing my bags on the top one, "So you're fine with the bottom one?"

"As long as you're fine with the top."

I nodded and climbed up the ladder, plopping on my bed to, you know, get the feel of it. Comfortable. I could sleep here nightly.

I found myself randomly wondering if Adam, Bree, and Chase would be able to adjust to their beds. I mean, they haven't actually slept in one their entire lives.

I pushed the thought out of my head, not wanting to think about them for the time being. They're doing fine. I just need to focus on unpacking and making myself comfortable. 

"You want some cheese spray?" I heard my roommate ask from below me, just as I was about to speak.

"Some…  _ what?" _

_ " _ Cheese spray." Followed by a sound that sounded a lot like cheese being sprayed into someone's mouth.

"You brought…  _ cheese spray, _ to a college campus?" Who does that? I mean, I've never been to college before, but it's not normal to bring cheese spray, right?

"You'd be surprised." He responded before spraying more cheese. I sincerely hoped he was spraying that in his mouth instead of, well,  _ anywhere else. _

"You know what?" I said, before climbing back down the ladder, "Sure. Gimme some cheese spray." 

He smiled and tossed the can to me. I caught it and sprayed a bit in my mouth. "Hey, I never caught your name?" I asked with my mouth full of cheese.

"Gus." He responded, while trying to stuff the can into his backpack, "Gus Exybuug."

I blinked, because that was one hell of a last name, "Say again?"

"Gus."

"No, the last name?"

"Ex-eee-boog." He pronounced exhaustedly. I bet he's used to sounding out his last name to everyone at this point. 

"What the-"

He held his hands out in defense, "Hey, I didn't choose it."

I shrugged, "Fair."

I got my bag from the bunk and started folding my clothes into drawers, "So, you majoring in anything?" I asked, trying to start light conversation. So maybe I didn't expect to have a nerd-geek-cheese-carrier as a roommate, but it could've been worse. I could've had a jock.

He shrugged, "Not especially. Not yet, at least. Gonna try out some things."

"Same," I nodded, "Taking some englishes, some maths… even an education class. Because, sure, teachers' pay sucks ass, but it would be kinda cool to be the cool teacher at a school."

Gus nodded, "Wanna shape the kids of the future, huh?"

"No no no no, I never said  _ anything  _ about shaping the kids of the future." I retaliated defensively, "I just wanna be  _ cool _ among the  _ kiddos."  _ I tried to do my best impression of a cool surfer dude, but that probably wasn't proving my case to anyone. 

"And, maybe… I don't know… actually give a shit about bullying victims." Because I think we all know that my school didn't. In fact, they sort of pushed for it. Perry's doing, no doubt. But I was bullied. 

We all know the Trent story, but I can't remember a time in my life that I  _ wasn't  _ bullied. Elementary school, it was always because I was skinny. Middle school, I was dumb. High school, I was short. I'm just a very bullyable person, I guess.

But the school never did anything. They always say " _ jUst tAlk tO a tEacHer!" _ so that's what I did! What did the teacher do? Nothing. They told me that they'd tell someone who has control over it, but it never stopped.

Maybe that was my fault. Maybe I should've spoken out more. But it had to be the school, right? I mean, aren't they supposed to find the bully? And, like,  _ terminate him _ ?

Bullying did more to me than meets the eye, I guess. I'm tempted to hide my quirks and my hobbies out of fear they'll be made fun of. I'm automatically scared of people who remind me of people like Trent.

So I  _ guess _ it wouldn't be  _ bad  _ to get a job somewhere in the school system. To, maybe, protect kids like me who need protecting more than people might think. 

But I'll be damned if I ever admitted that to anyone. 

"Sounds like maybe you  _ do,  _ but okay."

"You're going to orientation tomorrow?" I asked, deciding to change the subject, "My dad's gonna be talking about himself again.  _ Fun. _ "

"You're dad's the headmaster?" Gus asked, apparently more concerned about that than the fact that my dad is  _ Donald Davenport.  _ "Rad."

I shook my head, "No. Not rad. I was planning on taking a gap year, but he was like 'noooo Leo you gotttaaa go to my schooool so i can get CA-CHING!'"

Gus laughed, "Sounds like he's got his priorities straight."

I rolled my eyes, "Cares more about money than me sometimes."

"Can relate."

I turned away from the clothes and the drawers to look at him, "Your dad ignores you sometimes, too?"

"What, no!" He responded, " _ I  _ care more about money than me sometimes."

I laughed, hoping that was a joke.

Gus and I seemed to be getting along just fine so far, despite him being a really nerdy little weirdo. He sort of reminds me of myself back when I was in highschool, which is interesting. 

I wonder if he's ever been bullied cuz of his height, or maybe his nerdyness. Maybe he wants to be a teacher, too, but, like me, is afraid to admit it.

He seems bullyable. Protectable. I don't want him to get bullied anymore. 

I finished putting clothes in the drawer and sat at my desk, spinning in the chair. "College is going to be different than highschool." I said, mainly to myself as reassurance, but part of me hoped Gus needed to hear it, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow 3rd chapter and we already got us some character development.   
> dont mind me, just... Protective Leo.


	4. × Chase ×

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as I said, wonky pov switches.

My roommate is an idiot.

I repeat: my roommate is an  _ idiot _ .

It was easy to tell the moment I walked into the dormroom. I opened the door and was greeted with my roommate (a slightly shorter, dark-haired boy), and  _ 12 potatoes lying on the ground.  _

I didn't even say hi, "Why are there potatoes?!"

My roommate was sitting at his desk, picking at a potato. Maybe trying to peel it? I'm not exactly sure.

He turned around slowly to face me and put his hands up in defense, "There's a perfectly reasonable explanation for that." He said.

I crossed my arms, waiting for it.

"My friend Oliver and I have been trying to make homemade french fries." He said, not moving from his position (as a demonstration of honesty, maybe?) "It's kinda… taking a while." He scratched his head.

That… didn't make all that much sense to me. Why-  _ who  _ would bring a bunch of potatoes onto a college campus just to make homemade french fries with someone you won't even see very often?

But there was another issue at hand, "Why are they on the  _ floor?!"  _ I asked, trying to keep my temper somewhat in check. But he wasn't exactly making the best first impression. 

He once again put his hands up defensively, "I have a perfectly reasonable explanation for  _ that, _ too!" 

I glared at him, waiting for him to say something. "...and?"

He put his arms down, "Yeah no I lied about that."

I shook my head and tried desperately to start over with my new roommate. I was going to have to sleep with this guy for two whole semesters, and I didn't want to  _ only _ see him as a potato peeling idiot. "Just… What's your name?"

"Kaz." He said casually, returning back to the potato at hand.

I waited for him to continue, "Last name?"

He turned around, smirked, and said, "Woah buddy, slow down. We just meant. We're not on a last name basis just yet."

I shook my head, confused, and opened my suitcase, deciding to set up my desk. I got out my laptop and-

"Woah! A DavenProcessor laptop? Those things are  _ great  _ for video games!" Kaz rambled as I set my laptop down and plugged it in. "I thought they were sold out? How'd you get one?"

I huffed, "Does it matter?"

He gaped at me, " _ Yes! _ " He responded, as if it was the most obvious answer in the world, "If someone's selling them in secret, I would  _ die  _ to get my hands on one!" 

"Better die then." I mumbled under my breath, just quiet enough that Kaz wouldn't hear me. Obviously I have a DavenProcessor laptop because my dad is the billionaire inventor who made them. I looked at it and thought 'huh. That's probably fast. I'll take it to college.' I didn't expect my nutjob of a roommate to be interested in it. And frankly? I didn't want to tell him that I got it from my dad. Because that would expose me as  _ the  _ Chase Davenport. 

This kid seemed like the kinda geek who would fanboy over the sight of me, if he knew who I was.

Kaz huffed, crossing his arms, "Keep your secrets, then."

Needless to say the two of us haven't really gotten off on the right foot here. I'm sorry, but I wasn't built to be compatible with idiots.

But I didn't  _ want  _ to not like him. I want to like my roommate. I don't wanna be angry that I have to come here every night, solely because he's an idiot. 

I was gonna have to find a way to be his friend. I was going to have to impress him.

It didn't take much; "I'm bionic." I blurted, without really thinking much. A big mistake on my part, I'll admit. Probably should've, yknow, thought that through. 

Kaz's eyes grew  _ huge _ . "No way! I'm-" He stopped himself, mid-sentence, "I mean- t-that's so cool!" 

He smiled and I smiled, because, honestly, his smile was contagious. 

"So did you graduate from that academy I heard about?" He asked excitedly, spinning rapidly in his chair, seemingly forgetting about his potato quest, "I've always wanted to go there."

I shook my head, "Nope! I'm one of the  _ originals!"  _ I put my hands on my hips and attempted at doing some sort of heroic pose. My ego may have gotten ahead of me there.

Kaz just gaped at me, "No  _ way!"  _ He said, and I smiled proudly. I  _ knew _ he'd get excited. "You're  _ Adam Davenport!?" _

"Wha- No!" I yelled, resisting the urge to stomp my foot, "No!! I'm  _ Chase! Chase  _ Davenport!"

"Oh." He said, sounding disappointed, "You're the nerd one. Out of all of the bionic children, I got stuck with the  _ nerd one." _

"Hey, I'm more than just a nerd!" I said, sitting back down, "I can do your homework,"

"Bet!" He started rummaging through his backpack.

"But I won't." I finished. I had no idea what Kaz was even going to get from his backpack, seeing as we haven't gone to any of our classes yet. He's an odd one.

"Boo!" 

He sounded like Adam, jeez.

He layed back in his chair and the two of us sat in silence for a minute. 

I started to feel angry at myself for making a bad first impression. I didn't  _ have  _ to comment on the potatoes on the floor and I didn't have to brush him off when he asked about my laptop.  _ God, he hates me already, doesn't he? _

I don't think I've ever really been a likeable person. I mean, Sebrina was the only girl who showed any interest in me, and other than that, my only friends were my siblings. 

That doesn't mean I like it though. Why would I? Just because I'm smart and probably a tiny bit narcissistic doesn't mean I don't want friends.

And I think I blew my chance to be friends with my roommate.

"Do you know how to make homemade french fries?" He asked out of nowhere, "Being so smart and all?"

"It's not really that hard." I responded. I would've thought that most adults would at least have a basic idea on how to make french fries. I don't know if Kaz is trying to make some sort of  _ special  _ fry or something, but it shouldn't be taking him multiple days. "Peel it, fry it, cut it, season it."

He blinked at me, "That's it?" 

I nodded, and he rapidly picked up his phone and dialed a number, "Oliver! There was  _ no surgery  _ involved!"

Why would there- yknow what? Whatever.

"Yes, I  _ know." _

I continued setting up my computer, halfway listening to Kaz's conversation while doing so.

" _ Really?  _ No  _ FAIR! _ See, I  _ thought  _ he was  _ my  _ roommate _ , _ but turned out I got stuck with the donkey." I turned to glare at him, but he had been looking at me the entire time, smiling. He knew what he was saying. 

What an ass.

I shook my head and decided to ignore him, working on my computer again. 

"Damn I wonder if Skylar got the hot one."

Now they were talking about my sister, weren't they?  _ Great _ . Extremely disrespectful. 

I groaned and smashed my head onto an empty space beside my desk. Kaz just chuckled. How is this going to work? How will I be able to  _ stand  _ him?

My stomach grumbled and I decided that now would be a good time for lunch. 

I stood up and opened the door. "Where are you going?" Kaz asked.

I didn't turn around, mainly because I didn't want him to see how irritated I was, "Lunch."

"Oh  _ already? _ " He whined, "But we've barely  _ spoken!" _

I turned around and responded, but my voice came out a little angrier than planned, "We're gonna be living here together Kaz! I'm  _ sure _ you'll get a chance to talk to me." And with that, I left to go to the cafeteria.

God damnit. I'm terrible at making friends.


	5. -- Adam--

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the plot is ~~starting~~

I can't describe my roommate. But he's definitely an interesting one.

I walk into my dormroom, probably around 1 or so, and see my roommate lying on the bottom bunk, phone in hand. "I rather go to McDonald's." He said to the person on the other line, "This homemade stuff is so, like,  _ bad. _ "

"Bro McDonald's  _ slaps." _

My roommate flipped on his bed and looked at me, eyes wide, "Oh Kaz, I- I gotta go. Roommate." He hung up and pocketed his phone, before standing up again. 

He was almost just as tall as me, with light brown hair and bright blue eyes. "Sorry 'bout that." He apologized, "I promise I don't always talk like a popular girl."

I laughed, and held my hands up, "Hey, I'm not one to judge."

"So what's your name?" He asked me, sitting back down on his bed. "I'm Olive Dirt."

Olive Dirt is kind of a weird name, if I was honest with you. But as I said, I'm not really one to judge. I bet his parents were just having a rough day when he was born. 

"I'm Adam." I said, before picking up the bunk bed with my superstrength. Because we all know; impressing people is the  _ key  _ to a good friendship. "I can do this."

Olive Dirt blinked, "Are  _ you _ a-" He lowered his voice down to a whisper, "a superhero?"

I put the bed back down and shrugged, "Not really. Just bionic." I whipped my hands on my shirt, "But  _ dang _ , being a superhero would be  _ awesome. _ "

Olive Dirt nodded quickly, "Y-yeah. Yeah it would be."

There's not really much to say about Olive Dirt. He's a little twinky, unlike yours truly, but I can tell he's strong and fun. I think we'll get along just fine.

I've gotten complaints from Bree about her roommate already. She didn't give me much detail, but apparently she's bulking with a popular girl.

Every girl's popular to me, so I'm not exactly sure what she meant by that.

So I told her that Olive Dirt was a popular girl too, because, let's be fair, he kinda gives off those vibes sometimes. Especially with what he said when I first walked into the dorm.

I also learned that his name is not Olive Dirt. It's Oliv _ er. _ But you can see how I mixed them up, right? They sound pretty similar. 

Oliver and I seemed to have gotten along perfectly fine the first night. He seems like a pretty normal, not at all fishy and/or hiding secrets, type of dude.

We had orientation at 10 the next morning, so we had to get out of bed pretty early. Well, when I say  _ we _ , I mean  _ me.  _ Because Oliver was already up when I got up. "Have you had breakfast?" He asked.

"I literally  _ just _ got up." I responded. 

He nodded, "Oh. Yeah. Sorry I'm just stressed about orientation."

"Don't apologize." I said, dragging myself out of bed and leaving to brush my teeth. Oliver followed me, but I didn't really expect him  _ not  _ to. "We're all nervous here."

He nodded, "Yeah, but then  _ classes." _

I shrugged, "We made it through highschool. How different could this be?"

Extremely different, for me. No more missions, no more teaching, no more… *sniff*  _ Bob. _

I was glad I'd still be able to use my bionics, though. Whenever I want. I know our secret's been out for a while now, but I'm still experiencing the freedom of not  _ having  _ to keep a secret.

But for Oliver? How extravagant could  _ his  _ highschool career have been? He didn't have bionic powers!

He shrugged, "I guess you're right."

"What are you gonna try to major in?" I asked as I started brushing my teeth.

"Uh- Chemistry and Biology." 

"Woah," I blinked, " _ Two  _ majors. No wonder you're nervous for classes."

Oliver shook his head slowly, "Some people just do that."

"You're gonna be a super scientist." I said, putting my toothbrush back. 

Oliver chuckled, "Actually I- Nevermind. What are you gonna major in?"

I shrugged, "I dunno." I answered simply. I haven't quite thought much about that, which is probably not good, but hey, I rather just take what they want me to take and graduate whenever. I might not even major in anything. Some people do that, right?

Oliver nodded, seemingly not satisfied by that answer. 

I got dressed and, by then, it was 9:30, so Oliver and I decided to start walking to the auditorium, where orientation was being held. 

We stopped by the dorm to get some snacks for me, though, don't worry.

Normal auditoriums have 200 to 300 seats or so, right? Well, you know Davenport; his auditorium is  _ huge _ . At  _ least  _ 550 seats. 

We didn't even  _ need  _ that many seats. Since it's such a new college, there's only like 370 people in our class.

Oliver and I walked in, and I immediately spotted Bree, Leo, and Chase on the other side of the room. I ran up to them and engulfed them all in a big hug.

They all hugged back, and you would think that we haven't seen each other in years. Even though we just saw each other yesterday. 

It didn't have to be said, but we all knew that we weren't hugging each other because we missed each other. Rather, we were hugging each other as a way to ask if we were adjusting well. Because adjusting is difficult for everyone, and we hug for reassurance. 

"How  _ are _ you guys?" Bree asked, sounding like a sister who hasn't seen her brothers since highschool. 

I smiled, " _ I'm  _ adjusting quite well." I responded, "What about you three? You guys like your roommate?"

Bree and Chase groaned and exchanged a glance, and I got the impression that, no, they don't like their roommate. Leo just shrugged, "He's okay."

"This is mine." I said, gesturing to Oliver, who was still standing awkwardly at the back of the auditorium, probably looking for his friends.

Bree nodded approvingly, "He's cute."

"Oh, Bree!" Chase piped up, probably remembering something, "Is your roommate  _ Skylar _ by any chance?"

She blinked, "Who's Skylar?"

Chase sighed, "Okay. Good."

Davenport walked on stage, and all four of us shuffled into some seats. "Time to hear Davenport ramble for an hour." Brer mumbled. 

"About himself." Both Chase and Leo adding simultaneously, "He _ yyyy." _

"Hello new students!" Davenport started, after tapping the microphone a couple of times, "Welcome to the first ever year of Davenport University! With your founder and headmaster,  _ yours truly." _ He pointed to himself and chuckled. "

"I'm glad to see a bunch of new faces here this year! Granted, that could've been partially due to the fact that this was the only college who would accept some of you…"

I heard someone in the audience "whoo!" and we turned toward the source of the sound to see a dark-haired boy standing up and clapping. Oliver, who was sitting beside him, pulled on his sweater, trying to get him to sit back down.

Chase buried his head in his hands, "Don't believe I left the academy for  _ this. _ "

"We're gonna have a lot of fun here!" Davenport continued, "And  _ I'm  _ gonna make a bunch of money!" He coughed, "Anyway, I hope you guys got yourselves sorted out. How are your roommates?"

"A popular girl." Bree mumbled. 

"A nerd." Leo bounced off her. 

Chase added on with "An idiot."

I shrugged, "All three. I guess."

But everyone else in the room made some sound of contentment, so Davenport continued. "If you by any chance need assistance with scheduling, please, talk to  _ anyone _ but Douglas."

"Hey!" I heard Douglas yell from somewhere in the auditorium. 

"And… I think that's it." Davenport said before bowing, as if this was some stage performance and not an orientation speech, "Thank you for coming! Enjoy your stay!"

Bree rolled her eyes as he walked off stage, "He makes this sound like some sort of hotel experience."

"I wish." Leo responded. 

So I don't know why they all seemed so salty about this. I was sort of enjoying _my_ experience so far. "Come on, guys!" I said, "You've only been here for one day!"

"I guess." Chase said as the four of us started walking towards the door.

Right as we were about to step out of the auditorium, I felt a tap on my shoulder. We all turned around, and there stood Davenport. "Hey," he whispered, "Can I borrow Leo for a second? The rest of you can go."

"We can't wait for him?" Bree asked, being a supportive sister as always.

Davenport shook his head, raising his voice a tad so he was no longer whispering, "This might take a while. But no worries, it's nothing involving you."

Chase and Bree exchanged worried glances before agreeing, "Okay. See you around Leo!" 

"Ooooh! Someone's in trouble!" I whispered as the three of us walked away, leaving Davenport and Leo behind us.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cliffhanger lolololololol


	6. < Leo >

I watched as Adam, Bree, and Chase left the auditorium, without another care in the world.

Me, on the other hand…

Davenport made me stay behind, so there could only be a few reasons why. A) I did something wrong. I don't think I did. I mean, I've only been here for one night. I've only talked to my roommate, I haven't snuck around campus after hours, and I definitely haven't put up any ads for bionic children. 

B) He wants me to do busywork, to _keep_ me from doing something wrong. A logical option, if it wasn't for the fact that this is literally a college. The _lord_ of busywork.

And that only left C…

"Oh no." I said defensively once the door closed and the other three were safely out of there. "Oh no no no no. You are _not_ sending me out on a mission alone. We've seen how bad _that_ can go."

Davenport blinked, "You think I'm gonna send you on a mission? _Alone?"_ He suddenly started busting out laughing. 

I rubbed my arm awkwardly, "It was option C…"

He pretended to wipe a tear out his eye before saying, "No. No I-" he stiffled another laugh, "I'm not sending you on a mission alone ever again! Ha!"

I crossed my arms, not really buying it, "Then why did you need to talk to me. _Alone. Without_ Adam, Bree, or Chase?"

Davenport abruptly stopped laughing and put on a serious face, "You know I want Adam, Bree, and Chase to have a good college experience, right?"

I nodded, not really seeing where this is going. 

"I told them no more missions. I wanted them to have a normal life for once." He sighed, running his hand through his hair briefly, "But- you know… you even said it yourself earlier…"

"What?" Get on with it man!

" _Fun…_ seems to follow them everywhere."

I could practically feel my heart stopping, "What happened?" I asked in a beat.

"I don't want to get them involved." He continued, either completely ignoring my question or not hearing me. My guess is the former. "I don't want them to worry."

"What happened?" I asked again, sensing the awkwardness already in the room.

He looked at me and said, "A student's dorm was broken into last night. And thefted. Everything in the room- gone. Every last thing."

That's not good.

I asked the first question that came to my head, "Who's dorm?" I was crossing my fingers that it wasn't Adam, Bree, or Chase's, even though he probably would've told me if it was. I hoped it wasn't anyone I knew. I don't want them to contact me asking for money or furniture. 

Or… because their dorm got robbed. 

Davenport shrugged, "Some random kid named Alan Diaz."

I sighed, thankful it wasn't a name I recognized.

"And it might not even be anything!" Davenport rambled on, "It could've just been a prank his friends pulled on him! I just didn't want to tell the other three, cuz… you know how they are."

He altered his voice to try to mimic Bree, "We have to do whatever we can to help them!"

Chase; "I'm tracking him right now."

Adam; "I'll buy them a bagel!"

I exhaled a little bit, slightly amused by the impressions, but still a little nervous, "What do you want me to do?"

" _Nothing!"_ He responded demandingly, "Don't do anything! And _especially_ don't tell Adam, Bree and Chase."

I nodded, though part of me wanted to object. Part of me wanted to say _heck no_ . Both of us know that Adam, Bree, and Chase are some of the strongest, most capable people in the entire world. Part of me thinks they _have_ to know. Because that's just their job.

But Davenport said it, and I agree; they need a normal life for once. They haven't really ever gotten what they deserve for all they do for us. Not telling them would just let them live their lives peacefully and without worry.

"Do you know who did it?" I asked. 

Davenport shook his head slowly, "No, but we're trying to figure it out. Once we do, they'll be kicked out immediately."

"Even if it was a prank?"

He scoffed, "Even then, he _still_ cost me a lot of my time. And, more importantly, _money._ "

I nodded. We don't know what this is yet. Of course, _my_ mind goes to the worst-case scenario - a bad guy. But this is _college._ What bad guy comes to _college._

And if it _is_ a bad guy, then that's just another reason not to get the other three involved. If they get involved, they'll probably draw attention to themselves and _everyone_ will know that they are the famous Davenports. Even the bad guy.

"Promise me you won't tell them?" Davenport asked.

I nodded, "I promise."

I want to keep them safe and happy. And if I can do that just by not telling them about this robbery, then so be it.

They've been through enough trouble on their own, and they probably think that they're _finally_ at the light at the end of the tunnel. I don't want it to be _me_ who tells them otherwise.

I don't want anyone to tell them otherwise. Hell, I don't even want there to _be_ an otherwise. 

But I can't control that, so I'll just try my best to keep them clueless, safe, and out of harm's way.

Nothing too difficult.

* * *

"You stayed after at orientation?" Gus asked me the moment I walked into the dorm. 

"Yeah." I said, wondering to myself if I should tell Gus about Alan's dorm. Do I trust him? 

Before I made my decision though, my phone rang. I looked at the Caller ID and picked it up, "Hey Bree."

"Leo!" She greeted, "How was the meeting with Davenport? Anything important we should know?"

Well, there was important stuff, but no, Bree, you don't need to know. "No, he was just telling me about this kid I should be friends with." Or something. I don't know! It was the first excuse that came to mind!

"Oh…" Bree said, sounding sort of disappointed, "Who's the kid?"

Frick. Uh- "Alan Diaz."

_Frick._

I could practically hear Bree nodding before saying, "Yeah never heard of 'em."

"Me neither," I responded, "He's probably like some transfer student."

"Ok, well I'm glad that Davenport didn't talk to you about us." She said, "You know how he is. He'll say ' _this isn't about you guys,_ " and then proceed to talk to talk about us for 30 minutes."

Yeah, he _did_ do that.

"Yeah." 

"I have my first class in a couple of hours," She blurted, "History. I'm actually heading to the cafeteria to eat and then I'm gonna head there.."

"Oh, do you want me to hang up?" I said, part of me hoping she'd say yes so I could warm up a hot pocket for lunch.

"No, not quite yet." She responded, "I was just saying how excited I was. _College! Eeeee-"_

Weird. She didn't seem so excited about it before. I guess it just took a while for the excitement to set in. I can't blame her.

_I_ was excited too, until I learned there might be a thief on the loose.

"Meet some people, talk to boys!" I said cheerfully, trying maybe a little to sound like my mom, "Make a good impression."

"Easy peasy!" She responded, "I can't wait! Ok, I'm at the cafeteria now and getting food is kinda a two-handed process, so I'll have to talk to you later."

We said our goodbyes and the two of us hung up, and I took a hot pocket out of the minifridge, processing everything. 

"I think I know an Alan Diaz." Gus aaid out of nowhere. "Sounds familiar. I think I helped him with a wedding back in sophomore year…"

"He's _married??"_ I almost shrieked.

Gus laughed, "No, his _dad's_ wedding."

"Phew, okay."

"Yeah, I knew him. Strange kid." 

I nodded, and part of me wanted to ask for more information, but Gus didn't seem like he knew much about him.

"Did you hear about his dorm?" I blurted out, before I really got a chance to think about it. Shoot. "It got robbed."

"Huh," Gus didn't even bat an eye, "That sucks."

"Was it you?" I asked, immediately suspicious of his lack of concern, "Did you rob it?"

Gus' face turned to one of disgust, " _No!_ I may be creepy, but I'm not a thief!"

I nodded, though wasn't entirely sure whether to believe him or not.

I reminded myself that this wasn't a mystery I had to solve. Davenport was already on it, and chances are, it's not even anything big.

It's just a prank. It's just college. We'll be _fine_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dont tell Leo but i don't think they will be fine.


	7. \ Bree /

This is the second time I've been into the cafeteria since moving in, since I had dinner here last night, but I'm still absolutely baffled by the beauty of it all.

Granted, I'll probably be sick of it in three weeks.

The cafeteria is huge, with a high ceiling and several small, round tables scattered throughout the eating area. There's a bunch of different stations that serve different food, and you basically have the freedom to go around and choose whatever. 

You hear that?  _ Freedom. _

I get my food (pizza for the second meal in a row, baby!) and scan the cafeteria, looking for somewhere to sit. I saw Chase, sitting on the other end of the cafeteria, with Adam's roommate, the dark-haired kid who stood up during orientation, and a shorter blonde girl. They all seemed to be talking and having fun, except for Chase, who had his head buried in his hands.

I saw Adam, over by the ice cream station, sitting with some people who I didn't recognize, and  _ Stefanie. _

_ Oh she better not be hitting on him, _ I thought furiously. I sat down right beside where I was standing, keeping an eye on both Adam and Stefanie's faces as I did so.

"He your boyfriend?"

I almost fell out of my chair at the sound of the new voice. I had sorta forgotten that I was sitting at a random table.

I turned my head toward the voice and, sitting right beside me, was a tan-skinned girl with dark brown hair, tied up into a ponytail. She was… kinda pretty. 

" _ No,"  _ I responded to her question, "Why does  _ everyone  _ think that? He's my  _ brother." _

The girl beside me shrugged, "You just look angry at that girl talking to her. Girls get jealous of girls, or so I've learned."

I nodded, understanding her logic, and said, "Yeah no. That's just my roommate. Probably hitting on my brother."

She hissed, "Not a fan?"

" _ Nope. _ "

"My roommate isn't all that great." She said, playing with the carrots on her plate.

"Oh boy," I started actually looking at her, instead of my brother and Stefanie, "You don't even  _ know  _ bad roommates until you have to buck with Mrs.  _ Like- Uhm- Awesome-Sauce." _

"She's one of  _ those  _ girls?" She asked, and I nodded. "Well my roommate is  _ so  _ bossy. People say  _ I'm  _ bossy, but I am  _ nothing  _ compared to her."

"Well  _ my  _ roommate-"

The girl cut me off, "AND! And she  _ steals my curling iron.  _ Because apparently she, 'forgot hers.'"

Wow. "...Does she at least  _ ask." _

She shook her head, her voice sounding mocking when she said, " _ Hey Connie yeah I'm taking your iron to the bathroom thanks." _

"Your name's Connie?" For some reason, that was the first response that came to my head. I don't know why. Maybe just because she didn't really  _ look _ like a Connie to me.

She looked surprised for a moment (probably didn't expect me to ask about her name), and nodded, "Yep _ o.  _ Connecticut Valentine."

That's an odd name, but whatever. Some parents just like to be erratic when it comes to child naming. "I'm Bree."

She smiled at me, and for a second, I felt my ears get hot. It's nothing out of the ordinary. Pretty girls smile, I get flustered. Nothing new.

"I like you already." She nodded before scooping some spaghetti into her mouth with a spoon, therefore getting it all over her chin and shirt. "Oops."

"You're- supposed to… use a fork." I told her awkwardly, hoping it didn't come out as rude. "You're- ahem-  _ new  _ to the spaghetti eating business huh?"

She nodded and started to wipe herself off with napkins, "Yeah, we didn't have anything  _ this  _ messy on my planet."

I blinked, " _ Planet?"  _ Honestly, if an alien attended this school, I wouldn't be all that surprised. It's not the craziest thing that's happened to me.

Connie stared at me for a second and then laughed extremely high-pitched, " _ Planet.  _ Haha,  _ no!  _ I said _ …  _ uh… paa-- _ late!  _ Yeah!  _ Plate."  _ She pointed at her half-eaten plate of spaghetti, "I've never had spaghetti on- on  _ my  _ plate! Heh…"

I shrugged, seemingly unphased by her attempt for a cover up, "Okay, sure," I took a bite out of my pizza to provide myself with a dramatic pause, "What planet are you from?"

Connie obviously didn't quite process what I said, because she responded almost immediately, "Caldera." She coughed quickly, realizing what she said, and tried again, "I mean-  _ planet-?" _

"Cut the act." I said, smiling, "You're not too good at keeping secrets, are you?"

She laughed, sounding a little more comfortable with the conversation, "Usually I am." She said, "But something about you-"

My phone vibrated, and I looked at it to see that it was almost time for my history class, "Shoot! Gotta go, Connie! Class…."

She frowned but then nodded, "Okay. You're good."

I grabbed my bag and tossed my plate into the nearest disposal, "Meet here again tomorrow?"

Any trace of a frown immediately left her face, "Yeah! Of course!"

I smiled at her one last time before quickly leaving the cafeteria. I liked Connie already, and I could totally see us being good friends. And she's  _ pretty _ .

Though I might have already mentioned that…

I just hope she's not the type of alien who secretly has three green heads and that makes incoherent blabbing sounds when no one's listening, cuz that's kinda gross.

But she seems pretty humanlike so far.

I got to the social sciences building and found my way to the classroom, sitting down in the first available seat I got. 

Someone tapped me on the shoulder, and I turned around to see Adam. "Adam!" I whisper-shouted, even though the room was already buzzing with so much noise, that it probably wouldn't have mattered if I spoke at full volume, "She wasn't hitting on you, was she?"

He blinked, "Who? Steph? No, I don't think so…"

I released a sigh of relief.

"So who was that pretty girl you were talking to?" 

Okay so, funny story: Adam is the only one who knows I'm bisexual. Well, him and Caitlin, but  _ god _ she was a mistake. 

He was the only one I told, because I felt like he was the only one I could trust with it. He wouldn't make fun of me or tell me to lie about it, because… well, he's Adam! He supports everyone! It's kinda his thing!

I've tried to tell Leo a couple of times, but I always chicken out for some reason. Probably because I haven't known him as long as I've known Adam, and I wasn't sure how he'd react.

When I told Adam, though, he just gave me a nice, casual hug and said, "Cool. More fish in the sea, right?" 

So now he notices. He notices whenever I have that certain spark in my eye or when I'm talking to someone and being a little shy. I don't know how he does it, but he does. 

"Connie." I responded, "She's so pretty."

Adam nodded, "I can tell."

Caitlin and I dated for a total of a week and a half. It started right after that huge, haunted sleepover I had. She was the only one who enjoyed it, so she kept coming over. Until, I guess, one day I realized how cute she was and how nice she was to me and made the mistake of asking her out.

It was one movie date. That's all. But I thoroughly enjoyed it, and thought she had, too.

Obviously it was all a secret. Adam was the only one who knew. At least, for the first week.

Then I guess Caitlin got tired of secret keeping and started spreading rumors about us. Some true, most not. I mean, I bet the untrue ones were just words twisted by others, but it was kind of hard not to blame Caitlin, since she was the one who started passing them around. 

I tried to talk to her calmly about it. I told her that the rumors were making me uncomfortable and I wanted our relationship to be 100% secret until I was ready to come out. 

She didn't like that. So I did the next reasonable thing, and broke up with her.

I kept her around, though. I told her we'd still be friends. But she  _ never _ acted like the same, nice Caitlin ever again. To this day, I still don't know if it's because of our past, her true personality, or just…  _ me. _

But that was all in the past. It was probably best for me not to think about it anymore, especially since now I was in college and would probably never have to see her again. 

Besides, now there's  _ Connie. _ She's not toxic in the slightest, and she had no problem being open around me. Though, I guess I don't know her enough to know for sure. But I hope she's as good as she seems to me.

Cuz if  _ she  _ somehow miraculously becomes my next girlfriend, I don't want  _ anything  _ like Caitlin and I had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bree's 👏 past 👏  
> I've always wondered about Caitlin's sudden personality shift in the series, so i took it upon myself to make a backstory lol.


	8. × Chase ×

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the longer the chapter the longer the P L O T  
> Ok but this chapter actually has very many stupid parts and if you follow me on tumblr you've seen a large amount of them.

My roommate is  _ such a freaking idiot.  _ I cannot stress it enough.

He gets on my nerves  _ so badly _ . Every time he opens his mouth, I want to close my ears, because something stupid always comes out of it. To me, it sounds like all he talks about is putting forks in toasters and hiding in washing machines. Idiocy. 

But here's the thing: I don't know why he pushes my buttons so often. I've been surrounded with people like him my entire  _ life _ . I mean, just take Adam for example; I've  _ seen  _ him stick a fork in the toaster!

So why does Kaz annoy me so much? Maybe he doesn't. Maybe I want him to?

The most reasonable explanation I can think of is that I got my hopes up. I expected a roommate with an intelligence almost equal to mine, but instead I got…  _ that. _

But he's just my roommate. Whatever. It's not like we're gonna be in the same classe-

"Hey! Chase!!!" I heard him call as I walked into my first class of the semester. I turned to see him waving at me, an empty seat beside him.

I had to restrain myself from groaning as I grudgingly slipped into the seat beside him.

The teacher walked into the room, and I almost slammed my head on the desk. Surprise! This is the class  _ Douglas teaches. _

He put a textbook on his desk at the front of the classroom and patted it, looking us at us for a second. "Hey kiddos. Welcome to Chemistry."

Wait. Chemistry.  _ Fuck that means- _

"I hope you guys like who you're sitting beside, cuz you're gonna be mixing dangerous chemicals with them."  _ Fuck fuck fuck fuck.  _ Douglas did some jazz hands, "Lab partners!"

What have I  _ done?! Kaz,  _ mixing dangerous chemicals, for a  _ grade? _ Actually, screw the  _ grade!  _ We're gonna  _ DIE! _

I punched the side of my chair a couple times to release my anger, hoping it was quiet enough that no one would notice?

"You ok Chase?" Kaz whispered, leaning toward me a bit, "You seem stressed."

I glared at him, "No kidding."

He frowned and returned his gaze to my dad, who was still giving his welcoming speech.

"-I know I may not look like a teacher, but trust me, I am fully qualified." He put his hand on his chest, proudly, before adding, "By my brother who was short on staff members."

Everyone in the class, including Kaz, laughed it off as if it was a joke. But it  _ wasn't.  _ And I'm gonna  _ die here. _

"We're gonna have a lot of fun here, though." He continued, sitting down in his desk chair and resting his feet on the desk, "I mean, it's just Chemistry. What could go wrong?"

At least I know he knows it can go  _ very  _ wrong. 

He stood back up and put a stack of papers on a table at the front of the room, "Here's the syllabus. Bon appétit."

No one even gave Douglas a weird look. No one even  _ cared  _ that he never properly introduced himself or that he just told us to  _ enjoy our meal _ in regards to a  _ syllabus.  _ Everyone just stood up and started picking up their syllabi. Are they braindead?

I just sat there, arms crossed, waiting for the crowd to die down before I got my syllabus. 

"Are you gonna get yours?" Kaz asked quietly, as if he was scared I'd shoot him or something. "I can't get mine until you get up…" cuz he was sitting on the inside of course. 

I rolled my eyes and got out of my seat, Kaz noy far behind. We waited awkwardly behind the crowd of people trying to fish one of the syllabi off the table. 

Kaz whistled, "So… this teacher? Amiright…"

"He's my dad." I whispered, as if it was some sort of secret. I mean, I guess it is. Davenport was also the one taking credit for us.

Kaz's eyes widened, " _ Bro  _ that's awesome?"

I shook my head rapidly, "We are going to die."

"That's a little extreme, don't you think?" He asked as we got closer to the front of the crowd. "I mean, you're…" He snapped his fingers, trying to think of a word, "like… brave! Yeah! You've been on a  _ bunch  _ of dangerous missions, and you think you're gonna die  _ here?" _

I shrugged, "I wouldn't be surprised."

We got to the front of the line and I went to grab a paper. Kaz tried to grab a paper too. We grabbed the same paper. Our hands were touching. Like,  _ on top of each other  _ touching.

But, like.. no big deal.

Nope. Nuh-uh. Not a big deal. 

Is it hot in here or is it just me?

No I'm pretty sure it's hot in here. Boy when did it get so hot. Not like it matters, it's not a big deal.

Can you all hear the sound of my heart too? Is it actually that loud?

Not like it's a big deal...

"You- uh… gonna let go?" I snapped back to reality and saw that Kaz looked just as equally hot as I felt.

_ Wait that sounded hella gay but that's not what I meant. _

I looked back and forth between him and our hands and said, "N-not until you do."

This is my paper, damnit!

Kaz smiled, nodding subtly, "Fair. But  _ I'm  _ not gonna let go. I was here first."

"Oh I see how it is."

And the two of us just stared at each other threatening, not daring to let go of the paper.

"Good god," Douglas sighed. He picked up the paper and gave it to another student, before picking up two new syllabi and handing them to us. "Go back to your seat."

I felt my face get pink, my mind starting to fully render what had just happened. I just… held a paper? And stared at Kaz? What the  _ heck? _ Why did I do  _ that? _

We're obviously just too competitive for our own good.

We both sat back down in our seats, looking anywhere besides at one another, in silence. I guess Kaz has enough brain to realize how awkward what we just did was, too. 

"My last name's Karter." He blurted out of nowhere.

My heart was still beating at 96 beats per minute, but I tried to sound casual and snarky, "Oh? So we're on a last name basis now?"

Kaz shrugged, scratching the back of his neck, "Sure. Whatever."

I smiled and rested my head on the desk, just staring at my syllabus. I don't know, maybe Kaz isn't all stupidity and idiocy. 

Or maybe he is, and maybe I just hate it so much because I like it so much. 

\---

"I meant a girl." Bree joined me at my empty lunch table at dinnertime and said. Lately I've been sitting with Kaz, Oliver, and their friend Jordan, but it didn't really surprise me all that much that Bree wanted to sit with me tonight. "Today. At lunch."

I nodded, looking up at her to indicate I was listening.

"She's pretty cool…" She poked at her spaghetti and chuckled, "Her name's Connie."

"Cute." I nodded half-heartedly.

Bree sat up straight in her seat, "Cute? Do you know her? Do you like her?  _ Oh  _ I bet you like her!"

I raised an eyebrow and said, "No. I don't know her. Connie is just a nice name."

She sighed. 

"So you like her, huh?"

Bree stood up quickly and slammed her hands on the table, "Who told you!" She yelled, "How do you know?"

I leaned back in my chair, slightly frightened, and said, " _ No one!  _ You said it yourself; she _ 's cool!  _ And now your reaction is confirming it!"

Bree, putting it simply, does not have the best poker face. I've never straight out asked her because I didn't want to sound like I was assuming anything, but I've been speculating that maybe she's  _ not  _ straight. 

It wouldn't surprise me if she told me she had a flat out  _ crush _ on this girl, in all honesty. 

Bree sighed and slid down in her seat. "Sorry, I'm paranoid." She said, before laughing awkwardly, "See the thing is… I kinda have a crush on this girl."

Who called it?  _ I called it. _

I nodded and took another bite of the broccoli on my plate, "It do be like that sometimes."

She looked surprised, " _ What?" _

"Huh?"

"No follow up questions?" 

I shook my head slowly, "Nope. Love who you love Sister."

"Huh.." She leaned back in her chair and sipped on a juicebox.

"Don't ask me for advice though." I clarified, "You know how I'm like." I laughed, remembering what happened earlier today and blurted, "I held hands with this boy for like two minutes straight."

"What?" She asked, sitting back up, "You're gay?"

"Whatever."

"aaaaAAAA I HAVE A GAY BROTHER!"

"Shh!" I said, trying to force Bree back into her seat, "Don't want the whole world to know! Besides…" I shrugged, " _ bi." _

She took a deep breath and then, quietly, squealed, "My brother and I are both Not Straight!!"

I smiled. Though I didn't really know why Bree was so elated about me being bi, it was still nice to see her so… supportive? I guess?

I was about to say something more when suddenly a roar of thunder could be heard from outside. "Woah." She said, "That was loud." 

I looked out the window, and it still looked arguably sunny outside. Maybe-

Then out of nowhere, it started downpouring. "Huh."

Bree nodded, "Spooky. Maybe this is a sign."

"A sign of what?" I asked, laughing. I've always thought signs are ridiculous. I mean really, they're just  _ things  _ that happen before  _ other things.  _ They're just bozy coincidences. 

Bree didn't necessarily believe them either, I think, but she liked looking into them sometimes. "That this semester will be a  _ nightmare." _

I laughed again, "Yeah right. I mean, just look at all the good stuff that has happened so far. How bad could it be?"

She shrugged. I threw away my trash and grabbed my backpack, "Welp, I should probably go before the storm gets too bad."

I saw a strike of lightning in the distance, "Or I guess before the power goes out-"

Just then, the lights darkened. 

"Oh yep, here it comes now."

And then they were off. 

"Well, guess I should go before Adam comes to my doorstep scared and afraid." 

She laughed, "Adam's a big boy now. He can handle himself."

"I know he can." I threw Bree's juicebox away for her and started walking towards the exit, "Wish me luck."

She shook her head, "Yeah you're gonna need it. See you… whenever."

I nodded and ducked out of the cafeteria, sprinting to try to get home without getting completely soaked. It didn't really work, though, because within four seconds of being out there, I was feeling water leak into my socks.

I was suddenly really disappointed that I hadn't brought a bike to the cafeteria to ride back on.

I got into my dorm building and closed the door, gasping for breath. Running wasn't really my strong suit…

The dorm building was just as dark as the cafeteria, meaning that that power was ought to be out in all of the dorms here too

I sighed. It was probably to be expected, of course, but this id just my second night here, and it sucks that it might be completely dark the entire time.

As I walked up the stairs, though, I remembered Kaz. I bet Kaz would make this a party. I didn't know whether that was a  _ good  _ thing, or if I'd have to prevent him from flying a kite made of metal in the storm.

He's an idiot. He'd do that.

But I was still smiling at the thought.  _ God. _

Okay so maybe the hand-holding thing today kind of threw me off guard. It had to have. Any sort of moment like that would get me smiling at the thought of a person. 

But the difference  _ here  _ is that Kaz is still Kaz. And idiot. He's no superhero and he certainly never will be. This little so-called "crush" I had acquired for him will be gone in a few day's time. I just know it.

I got to our floor and saw our door opened, and a light coming emitting from somewhere inside it. Cool, Kaz must've broughten a candle or something. He may be an idiot, but apparently he's prepared!

But as I approached the doorway, I noticed that, no, there was no candle. 

Kaz was sitting on his bed, reading a comic book, with a  _ flame in his hand. _

He knew he was doing it, too, because he seemed to be using it as both a  _ light source  _ and a  _ fidget.  _

I just stood there, staring at it for a second. That didn't make sense. The only fire related bionics there were were heat vision and fire vision. At least from what I've seen. And I've seen them  _ all!  _ Unless some maybe.. got away?

Kaz froze and put out the flame, turning around to face me, "Oh! Chase… how- how long were you standing there?"

I didn't know what to say. Kaz had obviously been trying to keep this power secret from me. It led me to wonder who  _ else  _ he was keeping it a secret from.

I remembered all the times back in Sophomore year, when I'd have to hide or not use my bionics, because we knew if someone found out, we'd be toast. We'd be sent to the government for testing or we would be sent to execution or we would put out family in danger. Being exposed wasn't a  _ choice.  _

But it still happened. And we  _ did  _ almost get sent to the government for testing and we  _ did  _ put our family in danger. All because of one secret that we let get out.

I have no idea how much this secret means to Kaz.  _ He  _ might get sent to the government or  _ he  _ might get executed and  _ he  _ might put his family in danger if people found out.

I'm a person. I found out.

And as much as I want answers, I don't want to put Kaz in danger. Sappy, I know, but it's the truth. He's the first friend I've made out here and I sorta want him to be safe.

So I shook my head. "Not long. Just got here." I said innocently, "Why?"

"N-no reason." Kaz stuttered, closing his comic book and trying to slide it under the bed without me noticing. I noticed. "Funny storm out there, huh?"

"It sure is."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE THUNDER GO BOOM THE PLOT TO SZWOOM.  
> so Chase knows about Kaz's powers now 👀👀👀 pretty cool.


End file.
